BELEAGUERED BROWN FAILS EDUCATION TEST.

BELEAGUERED BROWN FAILS EDUCATION TEST.

£650M CUTS CONTRADICT CLAIMS OF POLICY PRIORITY

An attempt by the prime minister to turn attention away from speculation about his troubled leadership has badly backfired by focussing attention on the real terms spending cuts to frontline services, such as education, set out in the Budget.

SNP Westminster leader, Angus Robertson MP, accused Gordon Brown of speaking with a forked tongue as he promoted investment in education while simultaneously axing education investment by £650m south of the Border in 2010/11 as part of the £5 billion cuts programme. Scotland faces £500 million a year cuts under the Treasury's plans.

Mr Robertson said:

"Gordon Brown is speaking with a forked tongue - promoting education investment while simultaneously cutting schools spending south of the Border by £650m next year alone. The reality is that Labour and the Tories are two peas in a pod when it comes to education cuts.

"Scotland will pay the price of these Labour cuts, with the first real terms cut in Scottish spending since the dark days of the Tories' spending plans in the 1990s.

"It is just not credible for the prime minister to attack the Tories for planning cuts in spending when Labour are doing exactly the same. Actions speak louder than words, and right now Gordon Brown's actions will threaten recovery in Scotland, by slashing the money available in Scotland to invest in jobs, communities and services.

"Labour are cutting the wrong things - they should not be cutting investment in essential services and economic recovery but the £5 billion they will spend on ID cards or the £25 billion cost of replacing Trident.

"Gordon Brown has chosen to stab at the heart of crucial budgets in health and education, skills, housing and enterprise. The price will be paid by families and communities in lost jobs.

"It isn't too late to force the UK government to think again - the people of Scotland can do this and protect jobs and our recovery at the European election in a few weeks and the general election in a few months."